NC State head football coach Dave Doeren has announced that Ted Roof will join the Wolfpack staff as the 10th assistant coach now allowed by NCAA rules. Roof, the former head coach at Duke, comes to the Raleigh after spending the past five seasons as the defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech.
Roof will serve as co-defensive coordinator, working with the safeties and nickels along with Aaron Henry. He will also hold the title of associate head coach.
“I’m very excited about the experience and knowledge that Ted brings to our program,” said Doeren on Friday. “This is a great opportunity to add someone with head coaching and coordinator experience. He understands the landscape of the ACC and has defended the powerful offenses in this league, which will be invaluable to our defensive staff.
“Ted not only brings a knowledge of the Triangle area because of his time at Duke, but as a Gwinnett County native, he has great recruiting ties in the Atlanta area and the entire state of Georgia For me personally, it will be great to have someone who has sat in my chair as a head coach in this league.”
Roof has coached 31 years at the collegiate level. More than 80 of the student-athletes he has coached have gone on to sign NFL contracts and more than 20 are currently on NFL rosters.
“Im looking forward to joining the NC State staff and coaching for one of the most passionate fan bases in the country,” said Roof. “I have tremendous respect for Dave Doeren and the strong staff he has assembled and am excited about working with a great coach like Dave Huxtable. I can’t wait to get there and get started.”
During the past five years at Georgia Tech, his alma mater, the Yellow Jackets showed marked defensive improvement, ranking third in the ACC this season (behind Clemson and Virginia Tech) in total defense versus ACC competition. The Jackets ranked second in the league in third down defense vs. league competition (11th in the FBS), and 17th nationally in first downs allowed.
In 2015, Tech ranked sixth nationally in fewest first downs allowed and fielded the nation’s most-improved third-down defense. In the past five years, his defense has boasted nine all-ACC selections and four NFL draft picks.
Roof was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter at linebacker under head coach Bill Curry at Georgie Tech from 1982-85. He was named freshman All-American in 1982, was a first-team all-ACC honoree as a senior in 1985 and remains one of the school’s all-time leading tacklers with 417 career stops, which still ranks seventh in program history.
Following his graduation from Tech in 1986 and a stint as a player with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Roof began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Curry at Alabama in 1987 and ’88. From there, he went on to serve as an assistant coach at West Georgia (linebackers – 1989), Duke (linebackers – 1990-93), UMass (defensive line/recruiting coordinator – 1994; defensive coordinator – 1995-96) and Western Carolina (defensive coordinator – 1997) before returning to Georgia Tech in 1998.
After one season back in Atlanta as linebackers coach under head coach George O’Leary Roof was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1999 and held that position for three years. During that time,,Georgia Tech shared an ACC title in 1998 and played in a bowl game all four seasons.
In 2002, Roof was named the defensive coordinator at Duke.. The Blue Devils ranked 113th out of 115th teams nationally in rushing defense the year before Roof’s arrival in Durham, but led the ACC in the category in his first season with the program.
Midway through his second season at Duke, Roof was named interim head coach, then was named to the role on a permanent basis, serving for four seasons (2004-07).
After his time at Duke, Roof served as defensive coordinator at Minnesota (2008), Auburn (2009-11) and Penn State (2012) before his return to Georgia Tech. During his five years with Minnesota, Auburn and Penn State, he helped lead each team to at least seven wins, highlighted by Auburn going 14-0 and winning the BCS national championship in 2010.
A native of Lawrenceville, Ga., Roof graduated from Central Gwinnett High School. He and his wife, Pam Ash-Roof, have twin sons, T.D. (a freshman linebacker at Georgia Tech) and Michael (a freshman quarterback at Charlotte).
Pending customary university approvals, Roof will start on Jan. 1
